Auxiliary take-up for knitting machines



March 22 1927. 1,621,559

N. J. PERRY AUXILIARY TAKE-UP FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed Sept. 13. 19 2 SheetsSheet 1 II II ll ll II II II II ll II II II II II ll IUUI |nHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHMW 5 n van $02.

5 2, Napoleon J. Pen

March 22, 1927. 1,621,559

N. J. PERRY AUXILIARY TAKEUP FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed Sept. 13. 19 0 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JuliusW Martin I Adminial mior' uj'iholfsinte of Napoleon J P T,

No: new

Patented Mar. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

NAPOLEON J. PERRY. OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO MAY HOSIERY MILLS, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION OF TENNESSEE.

AUXILIARY TAKE-UP FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed September 13, 1920, Serial No. 409,982. Renewed August 11, 1926.

The object of this invention is to provide a method for holding down the upper edge of a tubular ribbed fabric equally at all points of its circumference both during continuous circular knitting and while knitting pouches such as heels and toes of stockings, by reciprocating knitting. Especially it is an object of the invention to facilitate the knitting of stockings from toe to top having legs of 1+1 ribbed fabric and feet of plain fabric, without forming imperfect work having draw or tuck stitches during the change froln plain to rib kitting.

In my co-pending application N 0. 146,917 filed February 6, 1917, I have disclosed a machine adapted to knit stockings as above described, the machine being provided with take-up rollers of a common type and having web-holders (or sinkers) to assist in holding down the fabric. The web-holders act on plain fabric to supplement the action of the take-up rolls, or even to take their place. In the case of ribbed fabric the web-holders may have an effect if several successive cylinder needles are in action as'hercinafter set forth. If 1+1' ribbed fabric is being knit the web-holders have no effect on the fabric, and it is almost impossible to change from plain to 1+1 ribbed fabric in a machine of the type shown in my application above referred to, where the needles act in the usual way to form primary and secondary knitting waves, the primary wave being usually on the cylinder and the secondary wave on the dial as explained in the patent to Scott 951,706, March 8, 1910, and the term primary be ing taken to indicate a wave completed at an earlier time than the secondary or latercompleted wave. Otherwise stated, the needles of the primary set in rib knitting are fully retracted (so as to knock over or knit off their old loops) at an earlier time than adjacent needles of the secondary set. Eitherthe dial or the cylinder needles may act as primary needles, while the other set acts as secondary needles, or they may alternate in this relation. Similar considerationsapply equally to straight machines havthis is that the ordinary take-up exerts little or no-tension on the heel pocket, and in fact exerts practically no tension at that region of the needles imtil a considerable time after ing a plurality of needle beds. A reason for the heel pocket is completed. Efforts have been made to provide auxiliary take-ups -act1ng only on the pockets but they are usually awkwardly located, difficult of access and they complicate the structure of the machine to an undue extent, as they must be pattern controlled so as to act only at the desired times. Commonly, too, they are so made as to injure the fabric.

Specialized take-ups, as in the patent to Meier 433,251, July 29, 1890 have also been suggested but they are usually objectionablylocated at a place where additional mechanism is not desired, besides being difficult of access for repairs and making it difficult to manipulate the fabric, as well as having a tendency to break or injure the loops of yarn and so weaken the fabric and mar its appearance.

My invention makes it possible to hold all the stitches under suificient tension at all times to insure the casting off or knocking over of the dial loops by their needles, thusrendering impossible the formation of tuck stitches. This is done with the a-dditiorrof a mmimum'number of parts, located sofas to be convenient of access, and not liable to get out of time with other parts of the inachine, as is the case with pattern controlled tracted position,

Figure 3 a section on line 33 of Figure 4; the cylinder needle being retracted and the pliedi needle just on the point of starting Figure 4 a fragment of a rib knitting machine showing a 1+1 fabric thereon with my invention a plied thereto,

Figure 5 a similar detail of my machine with a 2+1 fabric on the needles, Figure 6, a diagrammatic showing of the relationship of dial and cylinder cams, and

Fi ure 7 an elevation-partly in section showing the relation of the main take-up to the remainder of the machine.

The drawings show the invention as embodied in a circular machine having a stationary needle cylinder A and a dial B, but it may evidently be readily applied to machines having a rotary needle cylinder or to machines of other types having two or more sets of needles. In the present instance the fabric is drawn off by a take-up of a well known type having rollers C driven by a belt D. The rollers are carried by a bracket E pivoted atone end in such a manner that the bracket rises on excess tension ano slackens the belt thereby interrupting the drive.

In the drawingsl indicates the table or stand on the frame of the machine, this table supporting the rotating parts, 2, the rotary cam ring having thereon needle operating cams including a retracting cam 3 adapted for rotary and n ciprocating knitting and another cam 4 which forms the principal structural feature of my invention, both cams acting on needle butts 5 of cylinder needles 6.

A groove in which the needle-butts run when the cam ring moves to the left in reciprocating knitting is shown at 7. The needle cylmder is shown at 8, and the ring 11 for the web-holders (commonly known as sinkers), the web-holders 1.2 and their cam ring 13, are or may be all substantially as in the machines of the prior art, e. g. that shown in the patent toMayo 726,178. The dial 9 and its needles 10 may also be of any preferred or conventional type.

In the prior machines, as is well known, the cylinder needles herein referred to also as plain knitting needles in eontradistinction to the dial or rib knitting needles which knit the rib stitches, the plain needles being adapted when the rib needles are out of action to knit a plain fabric which may be circular or fiat, as for heels and toes, travel down the ordinary needle groove beneath cam 3 and, up a groove corresponding to that marked 7 or vice versa according to the direction of motion of the machine, it being immaterial to the operation whether the needles or the cams travel.

The idle position of the cylinder needles 19 preferably a raised position as shown in Figure 1, the needles being lowered to draw new plain loops and/cast ofi the old loops and immediately repurned to elevated position. The dial need es have an idle or welting position where they are not advanced to take the yarn, a tuck position where they take yarn but are not advanced far enough to knit off the old stitches and a knitting position where they are advanced so far as to clear their latches and therefore knit off the old stitches after or while drawing rib loops whichformthe new stitches of the course next to be knit 01f.

The implements 12'to have a web holding function must be withdrawn prior to the downward or stitch-drawing movement of the needles at one side of cam 3 and fully returned to the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 at orjust prior to the time the needles begin to rise at the other side of cam 3. As a result in knitting 2+1, 3+1, 2+2 or like fabrics where two or more successiveneedles on the cylinder are in action the web-holders betweewsuch needles can act on the fabric ,as shown in Figure 2 they being moved in to ure 4 shows a, portion of my new machine with 1+1 fabric on the needles and Figure 3 a section of the same. Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 are somewhat exaggerated to 'show clearly the effects produced, and Figures 2 and 3 represent substantially the situation arising in a machine of ordinary type just after the needles have drawn their stitches and the web-holders have returned to position, Figure 2 being taken where a web-holder engages between two successive cylinder needles not having an interposed dial needle, as at line 22 Figure 5, and Figure 3, the situation where such web-holder engages between two cylinder needles having a dail needle between them as at line 3-3 Figure 4 or also line ww Figure 5. In such an old machine there would be this difference that the cylinder needle would have risen to some extent when the dial needle was fully retracted if the common arrangement for primary and secondary needle-waves were followed, since in such arrangement the retraction of the dial needles starts later than that of the cylinder needles so that the adjacent needles of the two sets do not reach the knocking over point (or point of full retraction) at the same time, but those of the primary wave (usually the cylinder needles) are fully retracted a little sooner than those of the secondary wave, as explained in the patent to Scott referred to above. At this point the edge of the forming fabric in machines of the prior art is distored by the dial needle pulling upwardly and inwardly to such an extent that the web-holder under the dial needle entirely fails to engage the fabric and in the case of a 1+1 ribbed fabric no webholders engage the fabric, consequently the. only tension on the fabric is that of the takeups. Tubular knitting of 1+1 fabric may still be carried on, but the making of a section of plain fabric with pouches therein following by ribbed work, e. g., a stocking having plain foot, heel and toe and a ribbed leg, is attended with much difiiculty. In changing from plain to rib knitting the rib needles each take a bight of yarn in a course too of plain knitting, then usually hold that bight while another course or two of plain knitting is made and then again take yarn and knit ofi". Probably because the legs of such bights spread from onewale to another and secondary needle w a ve knitting and are machine.

i elaxing the tension on the edge of the fabric at the cylinder side thereo Now in order to do away with this difficulty I have provided means for resisting by holding down the loops at' the cylinder the retracting dial needles, whereby the dial needles cannot act on their withheld bights or loops in such a manner that knocking over fails to take place. Such means, which may be used in conjunction with an ordinary takesup and ordinary web-holders, consists of cam 4, which is in eflect an extension ofneedle-retracting cam 3. This cam holds down the retracted primary cylinder needles, until the secondary dial needles have been fully retracted, and have knit their old loops. In this way the fabric is drawn down and out to such an extent that the dial needles knit off Without fail and without leaving any holes at the juncture of plain and rib knitting. For certain purposes and in certain situations I may dispense with the ordinary take-up of my prior -machine, or. the web-holders, or both.

In Figure 6, I have shown diagrammatically the relation of the dial .cams to the cylinder cams the arrow indicating the relatlve direction of travel of the cylinder cam ring. The cylinder needles are retracted (lowered) by cam 3 in drawing their stitches and are held down by cam 4 as explained above, after which they are raised by cam 16 to idle position which they maintain during the remainder of a revolution of the The dial needles remain in retracted position during the greater part of a revolution until they reach cam 14 where they are projected before the cylinder needles start down at the point indicated by the line b-b. The retraction of the dial needles commences a little later than the retraction of the cylinder needles and ends later, the line H indicating the end of l the retraction of the dial needles, while it will be seen that the retraction of the cylinder needles terminates somewhat sooner,

dles to tuck the cylinder needles being however still held down, in the specific form of the invention here illustrated, by the cam 4.

Various changes might be made in the embodiment. of invention illustrated. For example, cam 4 might be held in a retracted position except just before the Change from pla1n,to rib fabric. I desire 1t to be understood that I do not limit myself to'the' invention shown and described, this being merely a preferred form. N either is my device limited to use at the time of change from rib to plain knitting. Nor is it limited to use in knitting 1+1 ribbed fabric, it being useful in knitting other varieties of ribbethfabric, for the same reasons, tho perhaps to a less degree, than in the case of 1-H rib. The true scope of the invention is set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire' to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Ina knitting machine adapted to knit plain fabric having pouch-like enlargements followed byribbed fabric, a main take-up and an auxiliary take-up comprising a set of primary knitting instrumentalities,a set of secondary knitting instrumentalities actin at an angle to the first in forming a fa ric, means for retracting in series the members of each set to knit acommon fabric, and means to hold members of the primary set in retracted position until after the adjacent members of thesecondary set have knit ofl their loops. v

2. As a step in chan ing from plain to rib knitting, holding d bwn the fabric at the knitting point' by needles of one set while forming stitches of the initial course of rib knitting on the other set.

3. As a ste in'ehanging from plain to rib knitting, hol ing down the fabric by the cylinder needles as the dial needles are retracted to knit. v i I 4. That improvement in'theart of knitting plain fabric" and 'one and-one rib fabric as string Work whichconsists in maintaining the plain knitting needles at their knocking-over position while knitting off the adjacent loops of the first course. knit on the dial needles.

5. The process of knitting on a dial and cylinder machine a fabric having 1 and 1 ribbed sections and plain sections consisting in knitting a section of plain fabric on the cylinder needles, then moving the dial neeposition v to take yarn, retracting them, knitting one or'more courses on the cylinder needles, moving the dial needles to knitting position and maintaining the cylinder needles at their lowest position op p'osite the knitting wave of the dial needles tohold down the fabric, thereby preventing formation of tuck stitches inchanging from plain to ribknitting.

6. That improvement in the process of knitting plain fabric and one-and-onc rib fabric in succession, which consists in cansing the dial needles to take and hold bights of'yarn while the cylinder needles knit a plain course, then knitting one or more additional plain courses on the cylinder needles, then knitting on all the needles and holding the cylinder needles in their lowest osition while the dial needles cast off the withheld bights of yarn.

7. The process of knitting hose on a dial and cylinder machine comprising knitting a plain toe, foot, and heel on the cylinder needles, changing from plain to rib knitting directly after knitting the heel and operating the cylinder needles'so as to impart tension to the fabric as the dial needles are'actuated to knit off their stitches.

8. The process of knitting hosiery which consists of knitting, a plain foot on one set of machine needles, operating the needles of a co-acting set to take and hold bights of yarn in a course knit by the first set, knitting one or more additional courses on the first set and then operating the needles of both sets to knit while holding needles of the first set in their lowest position until adjacent needles of the second set have cast their loops.

9. As a step in knitting hose, holding down the plain fabric just above the heel by the cylinder needles as the dial needles are actuated in beginning rib knitting.

10. In a machine adapted to knit a tubular fabric with pouch-like enlargements, a main take-up for the fabric, and an auxiliary take-up means acting on the segment containing said enlargements comprising a set of primary knitting needles; a set of secondary needles, and means to hold the primary needles in their lowest position while knitting on the secondary needles.

. 11. In a rib knitting machine a main takeup, a set of needles drawing primary loops, a set of needles drawing secondary loops,

and an auxiliary take-up device comprising means to retain the primary set of needles substantially in their extreme retracted position opposite the knitting position of-the secondary set of needles.

12. Auxiliary take-up means for a. knitting machine adapted to knit plain fabric having pouch-like enlargements followed by rib fabric, comprising a set of primary knitting needles, :1 set of secondary knitting needles and means to hold down needles of the primary set until after the needles ofthc secondary set have been fully retracted.

13. In a knitting machine a cylinder hav-- ing a primary set of needles, a dial having a secondary set of needles, means for operating both sets of needles to form tubular fabric and means to hold the loops on the primary needles approximatelyin their lowest position while the adjacent secondarymeedles are being retracted to. knit.

14. That process of knitting hose with plain feet and ribbed legs which comprises knitting a heel on one set of needles, feeding yarn to a second set of needles to initiate rib knitting and in the region just above the heel exerting tension only on the stitches on the cylinder needles while knitting off loops from the second set of needles, substantially as set forth.

15. As a step in changing from plain to rib knitting resisting by the loops on the plain needles the tension created in drawing rib loops, substantially as set forth.

16. As a step in changing from plain to rib knitting resisting by the loops on the cylinder needles the tension created by the dial needles while drawing their loops.

17. As a step in changing from plain to rib knitting, resisting by the primary needles the tension created by. the secondary needles while they are drawing their loops,

substantially as set forth.

18. In a knitting machine, a set of earlieractuated knittinginstrumentalities, a set of later-actuated knitting instrumentalities acting at .an angle fto the first in forming a fabric, means for retracting in series the members of each; set to knit a common fabno, and means; to hold members of the earlier-actuated set in retracted position from the time of loop-formation until after the adjacent needles of the later-actuated set have been fully retracted to knit off their loops, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Nashville, Tennessee this 9th day of September, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty.

NAPOLEON J. PERRY. 

